Desk Risers & Sit to Stand Desk Converters

Published August 11 2017

Switching from a sitting desk only to a Sit / Stand workstation is one of the best choices you can make for your health and your ability to complete more in a normal work day. There are a number of different ways you can achieve this, some more convenient and expensive than others but all give you the same or similar results.

So why would you switch from sitting all day to alternating sitting and standing frequently throughout the course of your work day? There are a number of obvious answers, ultimately you will be more comfortable, healthier and be able to accomplish more in the course of a normal work day.

The Basics of Desk Ergonomics

If you have aches and pains while working at your desk, checking your posture is #1 on your list of things to do. After you have identified the problems, next you will want to take the necessary steps to correct those problems. Doing so will have a long lasting effect of allowing you to get more done at work, help you to enjoy your job more and reduce common muscle pain and inflammation which goes along with poor posture while working at your desk.
The following diagram will help you quickly narrow in on problem areas.

In order to correct problems while working at your desk, utilizing universal articulating monitor arms (which any normal computer monitor can be installed onto) and working to allow yourself to get up and standing at your desk will allow you to fix problems associated with bad posture.

Bad posture can cause neck pain, back pain and shoulder pain. Improving your posture will ultimately reduce or eliminate these problems by reducing strain on these trouble areas.

If you’re interested in a desk riser, odds are you have some interest in ergonomics or you are experiencing some sort of pain from sitting at your desk all day. That pain can be knocked out or greatly reduced by focusing of having proper ergonomics at your desk. I am sure this isn’t the first time you have heard someone talk about it, but really, we’re not just hear to talk about it, we’re going to give you answers.

So many people worry about what kind of chair they are sitting in, is it ergonomic?? Long story short, it’s time to focus on getting out of your chair! You can literally spend over a thousand dollars on a high end ergonomic chair but it is not going to solve your back, neck or shoulder pain. Sure it may be comfortable but sitting in any chair for a long period of time is eventually going to result in muscle strain. So, even though we would like to stress that you have an ergonomic chair, we will also stress that it is the last thing we want you to focus on.

#1 in ergonomics is height adjustment and allowing yourself to move with a table top desk riser or a height adjusting desk. Not only will this help you to get up and out of your chair, it will allow you to move around which is what your muscles are for. When you are stationary, your muscles become stiff and sore, so let’s eliminate that by allowing you to stand up. If you can, purchase the electric height adjustable workstation from Express Office Furniture, this is the best option and won’t leave you wishing for more because you will have it all.

The Benefits of Alternating Sitting and Standing

Having a desk with riser has numerous advantages but the #1 reason to change from sitting stationary all day to alternating sitting and standing is your health. The benefits of alternating your position every 20-90 minutes (whatever is most comfortable for you) is that your muscles will be more relaxed, experience a reduction in inflammation and provide you with more comfort throughout the course of the day and even after you are home from work. Muscles in your legs will get stronger and pressure on your back, neck and shoulders will reduce and ultimately give you less trouble than if you had spent an entire day sitting at a desk.

In addition to a reduction in muscle inflammation, standing up will increase your metabolism and will help you to lose weight. How much weight is entirely up in the air but it could be easily compared to the opposite of drinking soda. You’re not going to lose 10 pounds in 30 days but you could lose a several pounds of the course of an entire year.

The #2 reason to switch from sitting all day is that you will literally be able to accomplish more throughout the course of a regular work day. Your body has a natural tendency to want to get up and move. Though, you can try to resist this temptation, by allowing your body to stand up when it wants to and sit when your feet need a rest will allow you to remain working instead of leaving your computer. If you leave your desk 1-3 times per day just to get up and move around you will likely be able to get 20-60 minutes more worth of work done than you normally would.

The one thing you don’t want to do is sit all day or stand all day. Both of these have negative consequences, the two that are most obvious is that if you sit all day you will have back pain, if you stand all day you will have foot pain. So do yourself a favor and alternate!

Types of Desk Risers

There are several different types of computer desk risers, some more affordable than others and you can even make your own DIY on the cheap. We’re not going to cover a DIY desk riser that you might make with wood or other materials that are easy to manipulate because it’s not our specialty and the choices we have make considering a DIY desk riser moot after adding up the cost of supplies, time and effort that goes into a project like that.

Table Top Desk Riser

Firstly we have the portable table top desk riser by Express Office Furniture. This desk riser comes in black and white and can be installed onto any existing table top or desk top. This is a great option if you want to explore the idea of standing at work but don’t want to invest in a full sit-stand height adjustable workstation. These adjustable desk risers have numerous height settings that you can put your workstation at and lift up and down easily with the support of hydraulic mechanisms that make adjustments a snap. Monitor arms can be attached to the edge of the riser or up to two monitors can be placed directly on the riser platform. Space for your keyboard and mouse are both built into the riser.

This desk riser measures 36.25 x 22 and has 8 different height settings. The monitor platform measures 36.25 x 15.75 and the keyboard tray measures 25.25 x 9. Not only does this work as a desk monitor riser but additionally as a standing desk keyboard riser.

Electronic Height Adjustable Sit to Standing Desks

The next option, and the best option is a table riser; the Electronic Height Adjustable Desk Workstation by Express Office Furniture. This is basically a height adjusting table with 4 presets that you can set at your most used heights as well as up and down buttons to raise and lower the desktop to whatever height you want. These workstations are not only the most convenient but they are affordable for professionals who work at a desk all day.

They come in numerous different sizes from large to small, narrow or deep. Some popular choices are 48” x 24”, 60” x 30” and 72” x 30”. The table top can be adjusted from 28 inches high to 46 inches high. These are available with silver metal legs and a top in the finish of your choice including White, Cherry, Modern Walnut, Dark Walnut, Espresso, Mahogany, Gray Speckle and Tiger Stripe. The max capacity of this workstation is 220 lbs. You can easily install a dual or triple monitor workstation onto the desktop and wire management options are available for keeping cable clutter to a minimum.

L-Shape Electronic Height Adjustable Sit Stand Desk

If you need the height adjustable workstation in an L shape, the Versatile by Harmony Collection offers all of the same features as the electronic workstation by Express Office Furniture but comes with a two piece desktop, one as a “pork chop” shape and the other a return in just about whatever size you would need. Though more expensive, a workstation like this will offer you more space for paperwork and offer your come convinces that a straight height adjustable workstation won’t be able to provide. The weight capacity of this desk is a whopping 470 pounds.

Heavy Duty Electronic Height Adjustable Sit Stand Desk

Another alternative by Harmony Collection is a heavy duty height adjustable workstation which can support 380 pounds, comes in black or silver metal legs and a controller with up and down functions. The downside to this workstation is that it does not have any presets so you will have to manually adjust the table top height every time you want to adjust your workstation height. On the upside, the Essential can support more weight and can be used in applications where tools or other heavy weight objects will be placed on it.

Manual Hand Crank Height Adjustable Desk

If you want to save some money but still want the benefits of a large work surface that isn’t cluttered with a desktop riser, you can consider a manual crank workstation where you adjust the height by manually spinning the crank shaft with a handle. This handle conveniently stores away when you have found the working height you want however if you are going to adjust the height of the table top several times a day, the task of raising and lowering will become tedious and leave you wishing you had invested in an option with an electric motor. These also have numerous desktop size options and have silver metal legs.

Monitor Arms

Monitor arms can be easily installed onto any desk riser or height adjustable workstation. The easiest way to do this is to buy the clamp version that simply clamps onto the edge of any desktop. These are available in single or dual monitor options. You can also purchase these to install in pre-drilled desktop grommets or if you are comfortable with drills and saws, you can modify your laminate desktop to mount your monitor arms wherever is most convenient for you. In most cases, this would be front and center on your desktop where in most cases there is no pre-drilled grommet. Locally, we offer modification services, if you need this done, aren’t in the area and aren’t comfortable making the modification yourself we recommend to contact a local carpenter who will make short work of the project.

Ergonomic monitor arms should always be considered at any workstation, there are numerous reasons for this but most importantly is for you comfort and to reduce strain in your neck and shoulders. Proper installation will have you looking straight forward, not up or down. This will help you to keep your body squared up to your workstation and allow you to complete your work without muscle strain. Considering the amount of benefit monitor arms add to a workstation, this is the number one place to get bang for your buck in desk ergonomics.

A single monitor mount provides similar benefits of a dual monitor mount and can help free up workspace on your desktop by removing the footprint of the OEM monitor mount and lifting the monitor up and off your desk.

For mounting to your desk, both the single and dual monitor arms can be purchased as grommet mount or desk edge clamping, whichever is more convenient for you.

Modular Desk Integration

Integration of a desk riser into your daily work routine can come without worry or anxiety. Really, it should be fun and exciting knowing that you are upgrading out of the stone age where everyone spent all of their time sitting at their desk and into something modern and ergonomic. Adjusting to standing at your desk is painless and even if you think you won’t be able to work standing up, we guarantee that you will. We’ve talked to many, many people who have made the change who actually prefer it.
If you want to integrate a standing option into your current desk setup you can buy a portable desk riser and simply place it on your desk top. Though, some luxuries of the height adjustable workstations such as better utilization of your desk space will be lacking, this is a great way to get up and standing inexpensively.

Integrating a height adjustable table or desktop into an existing desk set or a new desk set is entirely possible. Choosing colors that match your current setup can be done and the absolute best way is to buy a full desk set that matches your new sit stand workstation all at once. The laminate colors will match perfectly and you can add accessories to your furniture set including lateral filing cabinets, storage cabinets, credenzas, additional stationary U shape or L shape extensions, even matching meeting tables. Executive desk suites look great with sit stand desks, so if you need help with your office layout, just let us know and we can provide you with a 2D floorplan and full 3D rendering of your new office.

Here is a great example of a height adjustable desk that has been fully integrated into a new desk set.

Example Workstations

Some example workstations we can provide to you which include executive desk suites, 2-4 person desk sets and high end modern sets that will make your office a pleasure to work in.

A great setup for a two person sit stand desk set:

This executive desk suite offers tons of storage with a credenza, hutch, lateral files and a storage cabinet:

Purchasing Desk Risers and Other Ergonomic Accessories

The main purpose of desk risers, height adjustable desks and monitor arms are to provide you with a more comfortable experience while working. Adding these features not only to your work space but to co-workers and other staff members desks can improve company morale and staff productivity.

To purchase these ergonomic accessories for your desk just give us a call at (608) 831-1012. In most cases your items are shipped out and delivered direct to your door in as little as 3-10 days. All of these products bolster easy assembly and installation and will provide a positive ripple effect of increased productivity and improved comfort throughout your workspace.

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